I've never been a glam-doll: Radhika Pandit

Five years ago, when Radhika Pandit signed up for her first Kannada film, after a successful stint on television, little did she imagine that her career graph would pan out in such fashion that a movie starring her would mean more than just song-and-dance routines for her. Her debut, Moggina Manasu, not only got her a State Award for Best Actress, but also a Filmfare award that year, and she continued her winning streak with her next two films as well — Love Guru and Krishnan Love Story — making her perhaps the only Kannada actress to win the black lady thrice in a row.
While Radhika considers herself lucky to have worked on these films and have her talent recognized, repeatedly at that, she admits that it does put pressure on her in terms of the scripts she green-lights. “When my first film released, my worries were only about how I looked on the big screen and whether audiences would accept me; recognition was secondary. But what happens when you get awards very early on in your career is that there is pressure on you to maintain a certain standard with the work you do. People assume that if Radhika Pandit is in a film, that means her character is going to be good and strong or the script is meaty, because Radhika doesn’t sign every film that comes her way. I’m not complaining, because I like the trust people have in me; it drives me to do even better. But when signing up for films, I have to think not just from my point of view, but also how people would like to see me,” she says.
But given the hero-dominated industry that Sandalwood is, isn’t finding those roles like looking for a needle in a haystack? “That’s true, but I’ve come to a stage at which people equate me with performance-oriented roles. So much so that I have never been offered a role in which I just come and go as the designated glam doll, with a few songs. I’m not saying that my films are all heroine-centric or are very demanding, but whatever my role is, it contributes to the script. And I don’t miss the ‘regular’ kind of roles, because my films are very commercial,” says Radhika.
In fact, in her upcoming film Dilwaala, which releases this week, the actress has her fair share of songs and dance. “Dilwaala has a very cute love story at its crux, but it is also highly entertaining,” says the actress, who romances newcomer Sumanth Shailendra in the film. Radhika, who is currently on a short vacation, is now expected to return to the set of the much-delayed Bahaddur, and subsequently work on two other films this year.